Good news for night owls: When you need sleep is determined not by laziness, but chronotype. Here’s what that means

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That’s particularly true in light of society’s tendency toward what Walker called “competitive undersleeping,” or bragging about, say, awaking at dawn or only needing four hours of shut-eye.

What’s implied with that, he says, is that idea that “I’m so busy  and I’m so important, which is why I’m awake so much.” While such “genetic short sleepers” do exist, they are rare—rarer than the probability of being struck by lightning, says Walker.

There’s also the misunderstanding that when night owls stay up late and then wake up early, others assume that they must just need less sleep.

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Article Details

Author / Journalist: Beth Greenfield

Category: EconomyBusiness

Markets: United States

Topics: Editor's Picks Sleep Longevity Study Heart disease

Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS)

News Sentiment: Negative

Fact Checked: Legitimate

Article Type: News Report

Published On: 2025-05-12 @ 23:59:00 (16 hours ago)

News Timezone: GMT +8:00

News Source URL: fortune.com

Language: English

Article Length: 631 words

Reading Time: 4 minutes read

Sentences: 5 lines

Sentence Length: 127 words per sentence (average)

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Copyright Owner: © Fortune

News ID: 28647359

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